The Pocket TV comes with Android 4.0, a 1GHz ARM CPU, and 512MB of RAM.

Hardware startup Infinitec is building a tiny Android computer housed in an HDMI dongle that is only 3.3 inches long. The product, which is called Pocket TV, was fully funded on Kickstarter within the first week of landing on the popular crowd-funding website.

The Pocket TV has a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 CPU, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage. It has a male HDMI plug at one end, allowing it to be plugged directly into a television. It also comes with a built-in microSD slot, a USB 2.0 port, and WiFi. There are two remote controls available as accessories: a standard IR remote, and the more sophisticated Air Remote, which has a QWERTY thumb keyboard.

The final retail price for the Pocket TV will be $160, but users who back it on Kickstarter can get it for $110. Unlike some of the other products that we have seen in this space, Infinitec says that the Pocket TV will ship with Android 4 and the Google Play store. The company is marketing it as a mobile smart television platform that can handle 1080p video and casual games.

Earlier this year, we reported on the FXI Cotton Candy, a small computer with a similar form factor that became available for preorder in February. The Cotton Candy sells for $199, but has better specs than Infinitec’s system—twice as much RAM and a slightly faster CPU.

Inexpensive ARM computers are becoming increasingly popular among Linux enthusiasts and embedded computing hobbyists. The declining cost of components and other factors have made it easier for manufacturers to build such systems. The $35 Raspberry Pi computer remains the most affordable computer in this product category, but its availability is currently limited due to high demand.

Well, I don't want to have to buy an adapter from the two pronged EU power plug to a US plug. The one from the article uses mini-USB for power and pretty much every TV with an HDMI port on it has a USB port as well. Plus the one you linked uses an A8 CPU instead of A9 based unit.

Well, I don't want to have to buy an adapter from the two pronged EU power plug to a US plug. The one from the article uses mini-USB for power and pretty much every TV with an HDMI port on it has a USB port as well. Plus the one you linked uses an A8 CPU instead of A9 based unit.

Cortex A9 is about 10-20% faster than a A8 and sometimes it isn't any faster at all. The Allwinner chip can run at 1.5Ghz which makes it faster than a 1Ghz A9. Look around for the Allwinner dongles, most run 1Ghz but a few vendors are doing 1.5Ghz.

Big difference is that one will come in two weeks (shipping from China) and the other one won't come for five months.

Looks interesting, but where's the ethernet port? How are you supposed to watch high bitrate HD reliably with only wi-fi?

?

Full HD streams fine over wi-fi.

Well, as long as you have DOCSIS 3.0 for your router and a reliable, decently fast internet connection, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. Trouble is, half of American homes still don't have reliable connections to get HD. so I can see why some people balk at the idea of not having Ethernet built in.

Since Ars loves so much to comment on how "not open" Android is (something about development behind closed doors and who gets the code first), I hope this serves as a great example of how Android's openness actually works. And let's not forget the Nooks and Kindles of the world. In short, Android is open exactly in a way that matters and that works. Anything under a different definition of "open" has died a horrible death so far in the mobile space (webOS, moblin, meego, etc).

I hope this serves as a great example of how Android's openness actually works.

I don't think this has anything to do with Android's "openness". This is just a function of it being a free and well supported/developed for OS.

This is exactly the sort of thing Android is touted for. Make small device/integrated component, slap on Android as the OS, profit. It is like Linux except with a hundred times as much mainstream support for consumer use.

Also, maybe you do some searches on Google while using the device, eh?

I hope this serves as a great example of how Android's openness actually works.

I don't think this has anything to do with Android's "openness". This is just a function of it being a free and well supported/developed for OS.

This is exactly the sort of thing Android is touted for. Make small device/integrated component, slap on Android as the OS, profit. It is like Linux except with a hundred times as much mainstream support for consumer use.

Also, maybe you do some searches on Google while using the device, eh?

Slapping Android on as the OS might be a wee bit harder were it not FOSS.

Looks interesting, but where's the ethernet port? How are you supposed to watch high bitrate HD reliably with only wi-fi?

?

Full HD streams fine over wi-fi.

Well, as long as you have DOCSIS 3.0 for your router and a reliable, decently fast internet connection, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. Trouble is, half of American homes still don't have reliable connections to get HD. so I can see why some people balk at the idea of not having Ethernet built in.

Wired ethernet instead of WiFi does not correct the problem of a non-viable streaming source.

If the signal being fed to the router is not sufficient for streaming then the signal carried by wired ethernet to a directly connected computer will not be sufficient for streaming.

If the data is being fed to the router fast enough, then WiFi is fast enough. If the data is not being fed then a 10TBps connection between modem and player will not correct the problem.

Since Ars loves so much to comment on how "not open" Android is (something about development behind closed doors and who gets the code first), I hope this serves as a great example of how Android's openness actually works. And let's not forget the Nooks and Kindles of the world. In short, Android is open exactly in a way that matters and that works. Anything under a different definition of "open" has died a horrible death so far in the mobile space (webOS, moblin, meego, etc).

"Even the executables that are officially part of Android may not correspond to the source code Google releases. Manufacturers may change this code, and often they don't release the source code for their versions. The GNU GPL requires them to distribute the code for their versions of Linux, if they comply. The rest of the code, under the lax Apache license, does not require them to release the source version that they really use."

This is to say that just because they say it's Android, doesn't mean you're getting what Google develops per se. They have also found ways to subvert the Linux driver system to inject non-free drivers for your hardware that have no source offered in return, and Linus permits this.

I'm really surprised this got funded. It seems to me that folks who know enough about these Altoids-tin-size computers know that there are already some on the market. The CPU and RAM is nothing new -- it might be a little higher spec'd than others on the market now, but without this, the others would have caught up. What this brings to the table is the motion remote -- I believe there's a set-top box (Roku?) that uses one as well. And that's why they're bringing it out at around $160, or about twice what the others are.

Yeah I'm also surprised this seemed to get funded, they are a variety of these sticks on the market, in addition the All Winner A10 based ones are fully open to users, you can boot any compatible linux OS from the SDcard. As this model doesn't use that then your at the mercy of whatever they are using.

Also I can say with certainty as I already have had an Android set top box running ICS for some time that ICS does not run well on 512MB Cortex A9 platforms, in parts it's fine but in others it's sluggish.

1. 512mb of ram, just not enought for a new android device running ICS2. no ethernet port is a breaker for me because I have a great wired home network.

512 MB is enough for ICS. Google says you need at least 384 MB, CyanogenMod guys said at least 512 MB. This phone has 600 Mhz CPU and 512 MB RAM with Android 4 and Sense 4, although the resolution may be lower than what this Pocket TV can support:

I think 512MB should be considered a bare minimum for ICS. That's cutting it awfully close for a device that is saying you can have the best of Android, in 1080p, on your HDTV.

I had a phone that ran Froyo with 160MB of RAM. It was within Android spec, I'm sure, but once you put more than a couple apps on it, it behaved very badly. Even with a ROM designed to cut out as much fluff as possible, even completely disabling soft keyboards (Samsung Acclaim -- it had a hardware keyboard), and running LauncherPro with no widgets, it still ran pretty badly. I wouldn't make that mistake again (cutting it that close). I would spend the extra couple bucks and get one that has the memory to handle what I want to do.

The reason that I went for this as opposed to some of the others that have been suggested, is becuase of the warm and fuzzies that I get from kickstarter. Also There's the possibility of getting the design changed. After pledging I suggested that they add 1gb of ram as a stretch goal, and the fact that adding bluetooth 4.0 so it would be compatible with other kickstarter devices, namely the ToD beacons and the pebble smart watch.

The utilty of these depends of course on what you want to use them for, but for people who want a portable HTPC, the Raspberry Pi still is the best option, since it apparently can play 1080p content. The only things it's missing are a male HDMI plug and a case.